The House of Massaquoi is the ruling clan of the Vai people in southern Sierra Leone and northern Liberia. Some of its members were conquering warlords, others were key players in the gruesome transatlantic slave trade, while some were notable politicians, educators, publishers and authors.

In the 16th Century, the King of Portugal sent Captain André Alvares De Álmada to explore West Africa. There, he chronicled the traditions and economies of the precolonial nations he encountered during his expeditions. De Álmada’s observations became the first comprehensive European history of West Africa.